Cannabisis predominantly dioecious (male and femaleflowers occur on sepa-
rate plants) and occasionally monoecious (male and femaleflowers occur on the
same plant, hermaphrodites) annual herb (Fig.3.3). Stems ofCannabisplant are
erect, often hollow, 0.2–6 m tall depending on the variety and growing conditions.
Male plants are skinny and tall. Female plants are much robust, with age drug type
Cannabisplant grows like a Christmas tree. Leaves of the plant are alternate or
opposite on stem, palmately compound, basally with (3–13) leaflets, apically with
1 – 3 leaflets.Cannabisleaflets are usually lanceolate sometimes oblanceolate to
linear, with the longest in middle; leaf blade abaxially whitish green, strigose, and
with scattered whitish clear to opaque to brownish resinous dots, adaxially dark
green and with cystolith hairs. Leaf blade surfaces abaxially sparsely to densely
pubescent. Distinguishing male and female plants from each other during vegetative
growth is difficult, although the female plants tend to be stockier andflower later
than the male plants. Details aboutCannabismorphology and anatomy are given in
Chap. 5.
Cannabishas been a medicine with references as far back as 12,000 BCE by
Emperor Shen Neng of China (Schultes et al. 1974 ).C. sativais the natural source
of cannabinoids/phytocannabinoids, a unique group of terpeno-phenolic
compounds that mainly accumulate in the glandular trichomes of the plant.
Fig. 3.1 Drug (a) andfiber (b) type plants ofCannabis sativa
82 S. Chandra et al.